Neko
by AiraEve
Summary: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai become halfcat and are placed under Sakura's care. As time passes, they become more beastly, and their feelings for Sakura have evolved from simple infatuation to something more dark and possessive.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Naruto so don't sue me.

**Author's Note-** For fans of my story They're WHAT! I deleted it because I lost inspiration for it. Sorry guys. I promise I'll put something else up as an apology.

* * *

**Chapter One **

A familiar pink-haired kunoichi sat atop a lonely hill, her slender fingers absentmindedly picked at the flowers. She watched as citizens in the village below bustled about, finishing errands or just simply walking. They looked so happy, so… content with their lives. Sakura sighed as she ran a hand through her signature pink tresses, trying to relieve some pent-up stress.

Lately she had been ignored by her teammates and her friends seemed to have less and less time to spend with her. Ino, Hinata, and all those people were always off on some mission or training. Sasuke, Naruto, and the other members of Team Seven were always "avoiding" her and jumping ahead of her on missions. Even now the rest of the team was away on some mission, everyone except her. They had given her orders to stay behind. Was she slowing them down? Was she not good enough? Pbfft, like hell! Sakura was one of the strongest and most revered kunoichi in all of Konoha- possibly the nation!

_"Just give them some time; I'm sure they have a good reason as to why they're so busy." Tsunade had consoled her, "They are ninja too." _

Sakura and they were all jounin and higher, and Sakura had become one of the most accomplished medic nins out there. She was hailed and adored throughout Konoha, yet despite her popularity, she didn't have any suitors. It disturbed her that she was so popular yet she couldn't get any male attention- well, aside from the usual Lee and Naruto rituals.

_"You know what?" she remembered Ino talking about it when they were dead drunk at a bar, "I think that none of the guys around here will follow you around because they think Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai would beat the crap out of them if they did." _

Of course back then Sakura had taken it as a joke. But as time went by, she noticed that her teammates would glare at any man who dared to cast a flirty glance her way. She remembered a time when Sakura was at a bar, celebrating Neji's new job as an ANBU captain. There was a jounin there, probably in his mid-ages, drunk as hell, and he was trying to make a move on Sakura. Sai and Sasuke had walked calmly up to the man and dragged him out to the back of the bar. She never saw that jounin again for the rest of the night- and even after the incident the jounin would duck behind a corner every time she came near. Maybe they were paying more attention to her than she thought…

She was knocked out of her thoughts when something slimy and small sloshed its way up to her. It bowed and offered to her a scroll. Sakura made a face at the slug. "Honestly, Tsunade. You need to find a more graceful way to deliver your messages."

The slug disappeared with a poof as Sakura unrolled the scroll. Inside was her sensei's familiar script, except it seemed rushed and a bit messy. Was that… a _claw_ mark in the corner?

_Sakura, _

_I need you back at the tower ASAP! Something terrible has happened, but don't panic. Whatever you do, DON'T PANIC! We got enough crazy people here as it is. Crap, I probably just put more questions in your head. Just back here as quick as you can, or else… I'll… deduct every minute you waste from your pay! _

_Tsunade _

The strawberry haired kunoichi sweatdropped. Leave it to Tsunade to write a letter as urgent yet hilarious as this. Sakura sighed and stuffed the parchment into her pocket. "Well, better do what Tsunade says. After all, my salary is on the line."

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Tsunade?" Sakura called as she opened the door to her shishou's office. The emerald eyed female paused for a minute as she heard quite a ruckus go on inside. A few voices were yelling, she identified one of them as Tsunade's. The other sounded like… a hissing cat? What the-? Come to think of it, there sounded like there were two or more cats hissing and growling, while her shishou shouted frantically.

"AH! Get back," Tsunade rolled up a scroll and used it to swat away another figure in the room. Sakura couldn't see who or what it was.

"Tsunade?" Sakura questioned as she pushed the door open all the way. As soon as she opened the door, all the chaos in the room came to a halt and everything fell dead silent. Suddenly, something large and strong knocked her to the floor.

"Oof," Sakura felt the wind get knocked out of her lungs, "What the hell?" Something big was on top of her, and it was… licking her face?

"Meow! Sakura-chyaan!" it purred as it licked her more. Sakura blinked. The thing on top of her had radiant blonde hair, and striking cerulean eyes. Come to think of it, it looked a lot like…

"Naruto?"

"Meow!" the thing nodded in approval as he bent down and licked her face once again.

"Ew!" Sakura wiped the saliva off her cheek and pushed "Naruto" off. She backed up towards the wall and got a good look at the Naruto thing. Her eyes widened. The thing looked exactly like her teammate, except this one had… cat ears? And… a tail? What the freak? Okay, now this was getting messed up.

"Sakura, finally!" Tsunade threw her hands up in joy, "What took you so long? I had to deal with these monsters and _look what happened_!" She lifted up her arms to show a few scratches- nothing too serious, though.

"Meow? Monsters? More like adorable little babies!" Naruto retaliated as he hopped over next to Sakura. She squeaked and hid behind Tsunade, confused as hell.

"Dobe, you're scaring her." Another figure said as he stepped out from the shadows. He dragged Naruto by his tail and led him to the other side of the room, away from the frightened kunoichi. Sakura's brows furrowed. She recognized that voice, but the figure ran back into the shadows before she could get a good look at him.

"Scaring her? Please, the only thing that scares ugly is her face in the mirror every morning." Wait, only one person called her ugly…

"Stop arguing!" Tsunade slammed her fists on the table. "Don't you three realize what type of predicament you're in? You can't fight your way out of this one."

"What?" Sakura started, "What's going on here? Tsunade?" Viridian eyes looked curiously up at her sensei. Tsunade stared at them for a moment and hesitated.

The Hokage sighed. "Sakura take a seat."

The kunoichi did as she was told and resituated herself on Tsunade's lavish sofa. The sannin pulled out a sake bottle and drank heavily from it. As soon as the pink haired jounin got comfy, Naruto popped up from his hiding place and plopped down next to an apprehensive Sakura. She was still trying to get over that Naruto meowed, had a tail, and cat ears.

"N-Naruto? Are those real?" she pointed to his ears.

He smiled and cocked his head to the side. "See for yourself." Sakura looked bewilderedly at him. "Meow? Come on, they don't bite."

Sakura gulped and reached a shaky hand out and gently pet the ears. They were soft and velvety under her touch, causing her to delve deeper and start scratching them like one would do with a normal cat. Naruto purred in appreciation.

A book suddenly came flying at the kitsune, causing him to yelp and jump up excitedly. "What was that?"

"Stop trying to get Sakura to molest you," two voices growled.

"If you all are finished," Tsunade cut in, "I'd like to explain to Sakura what happened." The silenced and nodded. "Good. But first things first, Sai, Sasuke, step out to where we can see you."

There was a pregnant pause. "No."

"That wasn't a choice. It's an order."

Wait, what? Sasuke? Sai? Where did they come from? In the corner of the room, two figures shifted from the shadows and took a hesitant step out into the light. Sakura's hands instantly flew to her mouth. "Oh my…"

Standing in front of her were her two other teammates, except both sported a pair of cat ears and a tail, not to mention a set of whiskers to boot. Sai and Sasuke stared at her, and she noticed that their eyes even looked like a cat's. A tiny fang poked out from Sasuke's thin line of lips.

The Uchiha's face softened at the Haruno girl's shocked expression. "Please don't look at me like that, Sakura."

Sai said nothing but turned away ashamed.

"S-Sasuke? S-Sai?" she rose and went to them. A slender hand lifted to feel their cheeks, sort of as a reassurance that these things were really Sai and Sasuke. "You guys are………SO KAWAII!" She embraced them in a bone-crushing hug, "Oh your little ears! Squee! And that itty-bitty fang poking out of your mouth! Ooh, and those adorable fluffy tails!"

What the hell? Tsunade's jaw dropped to the floor. "Sakura?"

"What? Oh sorry. Please explain what happened." She replaced herself on the sofa once more. Sai and Sasuke sat beside her while she absentmindedly scratched Naruto's ear again.

"Well, at least you aren't deathly afraid of them," Tsunade took another swig of her liquor, "Where do I begin… See, on the way to their next mission, your team got lost and wound up in some forest. While they were there, some things attacked them. Unfortunately, Sai, Naruto, and Sasuke wound up bitten. Using the last of his strength, Kakashi brought them back here to Konoha… but not before they turned into cats."

Sakura listened with wide eyes, taking in each and every detail. "Is Kakashi resting now?"

"Yeah, it definitely took a lot out of him. Well, when he brought those three in, they already had tails and ears and everything. We suspect a cat demon of some sort bit them, but we aren't sure. Shizune and the others are working right now to try and find a cure for them. In the mean time, I decided it was best if they stay with you."

Sakura blinked.

She blinked again. "Um, excuse me, Tsunade but can you repeat that?"

"They are to stay with you for the time being."

"WHAT?" Sakura stood up and pounded her fists on the table. "No, you're kidding me right? Please, Tsunade, I can't possibly take care of these three!"

"And why not?"

"B-Because," Sakura sputtered, "Well for starters I never even owned a cat. And two… just look at them!" She pointed over to where the trio was resting.

Naruto was using his foot to scratch behind his ear while Sai licked his paw, err, hand. Sasuke was busy grooming himself. They blinked. "What? Whoa, whoa, whoa, they might be cute and all but you don't really expect me to take care of them."

"Meow," Sasuke said, "We're still half human, so it won't be so hard taking care of us."

"Well," Tsunade folded her hands, "They've been turned into half-cat half-humans. Obviously they're going to have some animalistic qualities about them. And plus you're their teammate, they're most familiar with you."

"Well they'd better be house broken." The Haruno girl snorted.

"Oh haha very funny." Sai scoffed.

"No," Naruto cut in, "We're cats. So we're allowed to go inside the house." Suddenly another book came flying his way. Naruto hissed at it. "Ow!"

"Dobe." Sasuke resumed his grooming.

"Anyways," the sannin continued, "They are to stay at your place, Sakura. I will provide a weekly salary to help pay for their expenses. Sasuke, Sai, Naruto, you three are not to set even a finger outside of her door. Can't have you out biting others, can we? Nobody else is to know what happened to you guys until we can cure you. Is that clear?"

"Hai," Sakura sighed.

"Alright, now get going." Tsunade grinned.

Sakura took them by the arms and led the boys outside. "Meow, stop pulling so hard!" Sakura sighed. This was going to be one long mission.

* * *

Agh, first chapter was kind of sloppy, but review anyway! Thank you, no flames!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Naruto so don't sue me.

**Author's Note-** I saw some people say they had a hard time imagining what they looked like. So, I drew a pic of it for you! It's in my profile if you want to see it. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter One **

"Well, here we are," Sakura called as she unlocked her apartment door. Sasuke meowed and sniffed his shoulder. Sakura sweat dropped. "Err, welcome to casa de Sakura."

"Ooh!" Naruto's eyes expanded to the size of saucers as he hopped in, eagerly taking in all the sights. His heightened sense of smell took in the fragrant air. "Meow, it smells just like Sakura! Mmm, strawberries and jasmine…"

Sai quirked an eyebrow at the hospitable furniture. He had expected everything to be some shade of pink and covered in fluff. Surprisingly, it was homely, with mature color tones such as deep maroon and mahogany. "Wow, ugly might not know how to fix her face but at least she can make an apartment attractive."

A vein popped in Sakura's head. "You know what, Sai? You'd better stop saying stuff like that if you're going to live here from now on."

"Meow? Ugly can't handle the truth?" Sai teased, knowing full well the kunoichi was about to pop her lid any moment. Sasuke watched from the couch as his tail thumped lightly on the floor. This wasn't going to end well.

"Just. Make. Yourself. At. Home." Sakura muttered through grit teeth. She plastered on a fake smile and stomped over to her kitchen counter and grabbed a stack of old newspapers off of it. The artist nin watched in mild curiosity as she spread them out next in a corner, handling them so forcefully that a few tore and crumpled. "_That_," she began, "Is where _you're_ sleeping tonight." Sai opened his mouth to retaliate but Sakura beat him to it by slapping her hand over it. "Don't. Say. A. Word."

Sai growled at her and stalked off to his pile of newspapers. He flinched when he saw that it had a few coffee and breakfast stains. Ew, now he was sleeping in moldy food too. "Meow," he groaned, "It's disgusting." Sai's ears fell as he curled into a tight little bundle, his tail wrapping cozily around his body.

"Mou," Naruto yawned, "Sakura-chan, where do I sleep?"

"Let's see here," the pink haired jounin walked over to her closet and started searching for something. Naruto lifted an ear in curiosity. "Hm… Aha! This'll do!" Sakura pulled out some old blankets and neatly stacked them in a pile near her coffee table.

"Meow!" he purred happily as the blonde dove right into the fabric mess. Sakura's face softened as he curled up the same way Sai did. "Thank you."

A tap on the shoulder knocked the Haruno girl from her thoughts. "Sakura, where do I sleep?" Sasuke questioned.

"Huh? Oh! Sasuke-kun!" A rich shade of crimson found its way up to her face. How could she forget Sasuke? "You can have the couch then." He nodded and took his place at the soft, alabaster sofa.

"Well, I'm going to run to the store real quick to get some groceries for us. What do you guys feel like having tonight?"

"Mew, Sushi." Sai said.

"Yeah, what he said." Naruto used his foot to scratch behind his ear.

"What?" Sakura looked bewildered, "You don't want ramen?" Even Sasuke had to lift an eyebrow.

"Whoa… that is weird. OH MY GOD! MAYBE I'M HAVING A STROKE! Agh, Sakura-chan, please, help me." Naruto feigned defeat and sank dramatically to the ground, right on top of Sai.

Sai hissed and growled profusely. "MEOW! What the hell was that? Oh. It's only the dickless wonder. In that case…" Sai landed a kick on Naruto.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"For trying to break every bone in my body by with your heavy one."

Naruto looked offended. "Did not!"

"Alright, alright," Sakura stepped between the hissing felines. "I'll just get you some seafood ramen then."

"Meow!" he grinned and pounced on Sakura, licking her face the same way he had been earlier.

"NARUTO! Stop, I just washed my face again!"

Aggravated, Sasuke stepped over and dragged the Uzumaki boy off the medic nin. Sakura felt her face with disgust and grabbed Sai, wiping the nasty saliva on him. He hissed at her and started twitching. Sakura merely snorted at him. "Don't be such a baby."

"I wouldn't be talking." He grumbled.

"And Sasuke? Sushi?"

"Aa."

"Alright, see you guys later then! Oh, and try not to break anything." Sakura walked over to Sasuke and whispered something in his ear. "Keep an eye on them for me, okay?"

Sasuke bristled slightly form the way her breath tickled his furry cat ear. "Aa."

She smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun." He watched as she sauntered towards the door, a tiny bit of pink creeping up his cheeks.

* * *

A certain pink haired kunoichi yawned as she arched her back against her bed, relishing the feel of her muscles stretching. She sighed contentedly and relaxed on the worn yet still comfy mattress. Viridian eyes struggled to focus on the clock next to her, which read 1:51am. Sakura felt parched and decided to grab something real quick from the kitchen. 

Her feet padded lightly against the plush carpeting as she felt her way towards the kitchen. She didn't want to turn on the lights, lest she awaken the boys and send them into a hissing fit.

Slender fingers wrapped around something cold and metallic. "Aha! The fridge…" Sakura beamed at her success as she pulled out a bottle of water and took a swig from it. "Mm, that definitely hit the spot."

As she pulled herself up, she noticed another presence in the room. Viridian eyes narrowed as she expertly hid behind a corner, a hand snaking out to grab a kitchen knife. Whoever they were, they were sitting at her kitchen window, staring solemnly out at the silvery stars above.

"Who's there?" Sakura squinted at the figure, "Is that… you, Sai?" Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness.

Upon hearing his name, the artist nin glanced at the kunoichi. He didn't say anything and turned back to his window. Sakura sighed, relieved, and placed the kitchen knife back in its holder.

"Sai," she walked over to him, "What are you doing up so late?" Sakura gently placed a hand on his shoulder. She could tell he tensed because his tail bristled.

"I can't sleep." He pulled himself away from her.

The Haruno girl frowned and took a seat next to him. "And why not?"

"I…" obsidian eyes locked with emerald, and Sai suddenly found himself entranced by the mystifying irises. The pale moonlight made the crystal, green eyes seem more… enchanting. "I don't know."

"Aa." Sakura turned her head to look at the stars. "The skies are beautiful tonight, huh?"

"Meow," came the simple reply. His tail wagged gently against the windowsill.

Sakura rolled her eyes. She didn't speak cat. "But of course _you_ would know what beautiful is, always calling me ugly and everything."

Sai smirked at her comment. "That's true." Sakura giggled and Sai smiled. Both of them sat there for a moment, just staring out at the cool night air. The Haruno girl sighed and pulled her robe tighter around her sculpted form, while Sai's ears flickered cutely.

A light breeze wafted through the window, rustling Sakura's cropped, pink tresses. A certain artist nin couldn't help but stare at the young woman, taking in her every detail. She had changed a lot during the last few years, becoming stronger and more revered in the village. Her features were now angled in a foxy way, not the usual round face she grew up with. Those emerald eyes were still warm and spirited, just like they had been when he met her 4 years ago.

"Ugly," Sai called her by her pet name, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you hate me?"

Sakura was taken aback by his sudden comment. Confusion was written all over her face as well as shock. Since when did Sai show concern over anything? And feelings for that matter? Sakura placed a hand over his forehead to make sure he didn't have a fever. Mmm… nope, he was perfectly healthy. Well, that must mean that hell had frozen over.

"Sai? Are you feeling alright?"

"Answer my question."

The strawberry haired jounin sighed and looked down at her lap. "To be honest, I don't hate you. Sure you can be annoying most of the time, but you're still one of my closest friends."

His fake smile inched up by the slightest hair as he lowered his face closer to hers. "Thank you."

A tiny blush began to heat Sakura's cheeks from their closeness. She decided to switch topics. "Hey, what does it feel like? To have those ears?" She motioned toward his fuzzy, gray ones.

"Nothing really. Do you want to feel them?" Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't worry; they won't bite you, though I am concerned that your ugliness will shrivel them up."

Sakura scoffed but reached up anyways and stroked the fur covered things. They twitched a bit but soon relaxed under her soothing brushes. They felt so velvety and delicate, yet strong and capable at the same time. More and more Sakura became intrigued by the curious objects and experimented with them, moving them around and such.

Sai hissed when she pulled them. "Stop trying to maim me."

"Geez, sorry…" the medic nin began to massage them in apology.

Suddenly, an odd, blissful sensation coursed through his body as his eyes drooped slightly. "Meow…" he groaned.

"Sai?" Sakura blushed. He only moaned in response and snuggled closer to her, his mind fogged with an odd, heavenly feeling that radiated from her ministrations. Sakura squeaked and pulled away from him.

Happy feeling gone. Sai instantly snapped back to reality and looked away. "God, ugly, did you put drugs in my sushi or something?"

Sakura merely blushed and hoped down from the window. "I'd better get back to bed now. And you too, Sai. Goodnight."

As Sakura left, she did not see the shadowed figure scowling in the corner of the room. The minute she was back in her bedroom, the figure revealed himself from his hiding place and pounced on Sai. He gripped the artist nin by the collar. "What were you doing with her?"

Sai hissed and tried to claw at the person, "What would you care, _Uchiha_? Jealous are we?"

Sasuke dropped Sai and stepped back. "Like hell I'd ever fall in love with her."

"Then why'd you get all upset over me being alone with her?"

"You're not a member of Team Seven. Can't trust you. Never was and never will be."

"At least I didn't try and betray Konoha for power," he spat, baring his fangs.

Sasuke flexed his claws. "At least Sakura and Naruto trust me, a traitor, more than an ass like you."

Infuriated, Sai stood up and rushed towards Sasuke, his claws poised in front of him. The Uchiha used his swift reflexes to dodge the blow and land a kick under Sai's chin. Sai growled and bit his arm, the fangs sinking painfully in.

"CATFIGHT!" Naruto hollered as he entered the kitchen. His outburst startled the boys, leading them to temporarily cease their crossfire. "Oh no, don't mind me. I was just here to get some milk."

Embarrassed, both boys merely snorted at the blonde and went back to their "beds".

"What?" Naruto looked about in confusion. "What did I do now?"

* * *

Reviews. No flames. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer-** No I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"Should we wake them?" the voice of a female spoke with mirth.

"No," a male smirked, "Leave them. It'll be funnier this way."

The female giggled.

Sai's ears twitched as he grumbled in his sleep. He heard muffled voices but wasn't sure where they were coming from. The artist nin grumbled in his sleep and flicked his tail, as if waving off the ones who spoke. There was an unfamiliar, warm presence by his side. It felt so warm and so comforting… Sai gently smiled and snuggled his face closer to whatever it was. The thing cuddled closer to him as well and licked him. Sai unconsciously licked it back.

Naruto smiled sheepishly in his sleep. He was having a dream that Sakura-chan was throwing Sasuke-teme and Sai out the window of her apartment. After she finished, she turned to Naruto and stared at him with those beautiful eyes of hers.

"Naruto-kun!" she shouted as she ran towards him, arms outstretched.

"Sakura-chan!" he shouted back as he too leapt at her. Suddenly, they were in a field of flowers.

"Naruto-kun!"

"Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto-kun!"

"Sakura-chan!" Finally, the two met in a warm embrace. (A/N: Oh my gosh, total Gai and Lee moment LOL!) Naruto and Sakura hugged each other, and Naruto had a serious look on his face. Stars sparkled around Sakura's face.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto spoke. His voice sounded deep and heroic, like in those soap operas. "I love you and will forever protect you."

"Oh Naruto-kun!"

"Meow…" Naruto mumbled happily in his sleep as a smile was plastered on his face. He felt something warm next soft next to him- like Sakura-chan. Well then, it must be Sakura-chan! He grinned and licked it. It licked him back. He wrapped his arms around it. It did the same. "I love you too…" Still sleeping, Naruto puckered his lips and felt "Sakura-chan" do the same. Ever so slowly, their lips met.

A click was heard as somebody suddenly fell on the floor howling with laughter. Both Naruto's and Sai's eyes snapped open and bolted upright. "Meow? What happened?" They rubbed their eyes, now wide awake. They quirked their eyebrows when they saw Sakura rolling on the floor, desperately clutching her stomach as tears streamed down her face. She was sort of screaming and howling. A camera was not too far from her. To her left was Sasuke. They couldn't tell what was wrong with him since his head was down, bangs shadowing his face, fists clenched, and his shoulders shaking.

"Meow?" Naruto blinked, "Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme, what's wrong?"

They heard a snort from Sasuke as one clawed hand flew up to cover his mouth. "You are. You're wrong." He snickered.

"What?" Sai's ears flopped. He then noticed that Naruto was next to him. "What are you doing in my bed, dickless?"

"Your bed?" Naruto lifted an ear at him, "But… your newspapers are over there." Sai looked over. Indeed, the Uzumaki boy was right.

"Wait… then what am I doing over here?"

"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Sakura's booming laugh entered the conversation. Her fists pounded on the floor as she struggled to support herself by holding on to Sasuke. "HAHAHA, OH MY GOD! HAHAHA THAT WAS HILARIOUS!"

Finally, Sasuke couldn't hold it in any longer as he collapsed next to Sakura, clutching his stomach as he howled in laughter. Sakura looked like she was having a seizure.

Sai and Naruto stared at them as if they had suddenly sprouted tentacles.

Still laughing, Sakura wordlessly thrust a Polaroid photo into their hands. Naruto and Sai stared at it.

All color had drained from the artist nin's face as his jaw hung open in shock. Naruto gulped and felt his tail stiffen.

It was a picture of Sai and Naruto, with their arms wrapped around each other and…kissing.

"Who's the gay one now?" Sasuke chuckled.

Angrily, Sai ripped up the photo and crushed the torn pieces with his claws. He growled and bared his fangs at the two. Naruto had gone off to sulk in a corner. "Aw," Sakura manged to calm down a little and went over to hug Naruto, "Don't be sad! You made Sasuke and me laugh!" Naruto smiled a little since he was being hugged by Sakura… and her gigantic chest was being pressed up to his face. Sai and Sasuke shot glares at him.

"Well," Sakura pulled back, still giggling, "I've got to get breakfast started. Sasuke, make sure Naruto and Sai don't start hugging and kissing again."

"HEY!" the blonde and the artist hissed. Sakura merely threw her head back and laughed as she entered the kitchen.

By now Sasuke had managed to settle down and crossed his arms over his chest, but he still held a mocking smirk on his face. Naruto stuck his tongue out at the Uchiha and Sai glared at him. The onyx haired male stood unaffected, just smirking that condescending smile of his.

"DAMMIT, STOP!" Naruto yelled as he pounced on Sasuke.

"Rawr," Sasuke growled, "Get off, dobe!"

Sai stared and thumped his tail on the ground. He would let Naruto beat the traitor for him.

"Breakfast is ready!" Sakura sang as she entered the living room with four bowls. She sweat dropped when she saw that Naruto was trying to attack Sasuke. Amazingly, Sai had produced a tub of popcorn and was watching the scene like it was the most interesting movie in the world.

"Not again," Sakura dug in her pocket for something. She grinned when she found it. "Oh Naruto!" she called.

"Meow?" the blonde looked up from his assault on the Uchiha. He saw Sakura holding a little gray toy mouse. It looked like it was stuffed with something… and a curious odor was resonating from it. Naruto dropped Sasuke with an "Oof!" and headed toward the fluffy toy.

"That's it," Sakura smirked, "Good boy." She then handed him the toy. He cheered and fiddled with it. He then raised it to his nose and took a whiff. Suddenly, his mind felt woozy and he felt… happy.

"Hehe," Naruto plastered a silly grin on his face as he stumble around the apartment, "Oh wow… look at all the pretty colors! Yay!"

Sai and Sasuke stared at Sakura. "Ugly, why is the dickless wonder acting like that?"

"No reason," Sakura smiled a sickeningly sweet smile.

Sasuke stared at her. "Sakura…"

"Okay fine." She slapped them away and huffed. "It's filled with catnip."

"Catnip?" Sai raised an eyebrow at her, "Great. You've turned him into a druggie."

"It's okay," Sakura smiled as she placed their breakfasts in front of them, "Don't worry about it."

* * *

Later on, Sakura sat on her couch reading up on a medical technique manual Tsunade had sent her as consolation for her missed lessons with the sannin. Sai slept next to her, crouched up in a ball. His tail unconsciously wagged in his sleep and fanned Sakura. She didn't mind. The breeze felt nice. Sasuke was taking a shower. And Naruto… well, she didn't know where he was but didn't really care. 

"He'll be fine," Sakura mumbled as she turned another page in her book. A breeze brushed pass her and she saw a shadow run by in the corner of her eye. Sakura looked up and put her book down. There- she saw the shadow again!

"Naruto?" she called as she stood up. Suddenly, something popped up at her and pinned her against the couch.

"AH!" Sakura threw a hand over her heart. "What the- Oh. Hi Naruto."

She raised an eyebrow at him. He looked a little jumpy and his teeth were chattering.

"Y-You got anymore?" his cerulean eyes darted about suspiciously.

"What?" Sakura pushed him off her, "What are you talking about? Anymore what?"

"You know… the s-stuff!" Naruto's eye twitched. He suddenly jumped and started sniffing the floor.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

"THE STUFF!" Naruto yelled as he grabbed her shoulders. "You know, the happy stuff you gave me this morning! The one that made me go WHEE!"

Sakura gaped at him like he had proposed to Lee. "You mean the catnip?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Naruto shook his head profusely and grinned. "Catnip! Meow! I want more catnip! It makes me feel HAPPY!"

Sakura looked bewildered. "S-Sai," she shook her teammate and tried to wake him up. He merely grumbled and placed his hands over his ears. "Sai, wake up! Sai, hey, help me here!" Naruto started inching closer to her. Sakura screamed and started giving Sai whiplash.

"Meow?" Sai groaned as his eyes slowly cracked open.

"You're awake!" Sakura quickly pulled him in front of her, "Now protect me!"

"Eh?" Sai looked back at her and saw her shiver behind his back. He then turned in front of him and yelped when he saw Naruto inch towards them, a zombie-like look on his pale face.

"Meow…" Naruto groaned, "Catnip…"

"OH MY GOD, HE'S CRAZY!"

Sai grabbed Sakura and leapt out of the way as the blonde lunged at them. "Wonderful, now he's a druggie and dickless!"

"AAH!" Sakura and Sai ducked as Naruto threw a vase at them.

"Hey," Sai held his hands up, "Dickless, feel free to maim Ugly however you feel like but leave me out of it."

"Hey!"

"What? You don't expect a beautiful creature like me to die, do you?"

"Well you could at least-"

"CATNIP!"

"AH!" Sakura held on to Sai for dear life as Naruto cornered them. He loomed over the two and reached out with his clawed hand.

"What's going on here?" Sasuke said as he stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing his hair with a towel.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out in happiness and ran to hide behind the Uchiha. "Save me," she squeaked.

"What?" Sasuke was about to say more but Naruto lunged at them.

"SAKURA-CHAN, DON'T HOLD OUT ON ME! I NEED MORE!" Naruto howled wildly. He grabbed Sasuke and shook him also. Sai sat on the couch and whipped out another magic bucket of popcorn.

"Dobe, get off of me!" Sasuke growled and pushed Naruto off. The blonde squirmed and jumped up again. Sasuke turned behind him and scooped Sakura up and started running around the apartment, Naruto chasing wildly after them.

Sai fell off the couch laughing his butt off.

"STOP!" Sakura hollered and stamped her foot on the carpet. The whole apartment shook under her fury.

Even the neighbors underneath them felt her wrath as their apartment shook also.

"Ernie, dear," a woman with curlers woke her husband, "What was that? Our apartment started shaking."

"It's probably your stomach, Bertha. I can hardly afford to keep you fed."

"You're so cruel!" Bertha sobbed and waddled out the door to the fridge to get some "comfort food".

Ahem. Well, back to Sakura and the others.

Sakura's chest heaved up and down as she glared at the boys. Sai and Sasuke gulped, but Naruto, still catnip deprived, wasn't fazed. "…Meow? Catnip?"

Sakura threw her hands up as if silently saying to the heavens, "_What did I do to deserve this?_" She then rubbed her temples. "Alright," the pink haired kunoichi groaned, "You'll get your catnip. Just give me a sec."

The kitsune wagged his tail excitedly. Sai and Sasuke's ears perked up as Sakura went into her bedroom to fetch the herbs. "Are you serious? You're going to give that _thing_ more catnip?"

"Here it is!"' Sakura said as she threw a bag at Naruto.

"Meow!" he grinned and opened the bag and took a huge whiff. Instantly, his face turned green and he threw the bag down in disgust. "Ew… Sakura-chan the catnip smells funny…" Naruto saw the room start to spin and fainted.

His body fell on the floor with a thud. Sai stepped up and poked it. "Ugly, I think you gave him an overdose."

"Don't worry," Sakura bent down and pulled him up, "I gave him some sleeping herbs instead of catnip." She then placed him back on his bed.

"Aa."

Sai flopped back down on his… newspapers and decided to go to sleep also. Sasuke curled up on the sofa and closed his eyes.

Sakura headed to the bathroom to get herself ready for bed as well. Before she left the room, her eyes softened at the boys. She had only been taking care of them for two days and they were already too much to handle. From catfights to catnip-crazed boys, it was getting pretty stressful. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but admit that it was pretty entertaining and gave her more fun than she had in a long time.

"Goodnight, you three," she smiled and turned out the lights.

* * *

Sasuke cracked a single eye open to stare at his surroundings. It was late at night and everyone was asleep. He stealthily crawled out of "bed" and headed down the hallway until he found a certain door. Ever so quietly, he creaked it open and slipped inside. He walked deeper inside the room until he found what he was looking for: a bed with a familiar medic nin sleeping underneath its covers. 

The Uchiha's face softened at her. Her hair was splayed messily about her pillow and her face was turned so that more of her elegant, white neck was exposed. Sasuke reached out and stroked her soft cheek, taking care not to scratch her with his claws.

He had to admit, originally he had no interest in her whatsoever and thought her to be another weak fan girl. She had proved him wrong. Over time, he caught small glimpses of how much potential Sakura had as a kunoichi- talent which she soon let blossom under her training with Tsunade. Sasuke had began to develop a little thing for Sakura, but merely tossed it aside as "teammate concern". But when he saw Sai with Sakura… he wasn't exactly sure what he felt anymore.

As he continued to stroke Sakura's cheek, something caught his eye. There was a little piece of fluff poking out of sleeve. Sasuke tried to pull it out but winced when he felt pain in his arm. What the-? The Uchiha rolled up his sleeve and gasped. He quickly slipped out the door and hid behind the corner.

Once he was sure nobody could see him if they woke up, Sasuke continued to stare at his arm. It was now covered in fur; a silky coat of midnight blue hair. He narrowed his eyes and pulled his sleeve lower to conceal it. Great, so now he was growing fur. Wonderful. As if having ears, fangs, claws, and a tail wasn't bad enough.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Sasuke had a feeling that their cat transformations were not yet complete…

* * *

Sorry for the late update! Was working on other stories.. hehe. Well, review now please! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer-** I own nothing.

**Author's Note-** GUESS WHO'S BACK. BACK AGAIN. MWAHAHA. Okay well anyhow, high school was REALLY hard. Much harder than I expected. But I survived! Heh. Well yeah, so I'm really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY sorry for not updating any stories for like six months, but I had to prioritize and school came first, sadly. BUT now it's summer and I can get back to writing! WHOO! But my writing isn't as good as it was back then, mostly because all the essays I had to write has completely drained it out of me. Sigh. But I bet I'll pick it back up. I sort of forgot where I was going with a few of these fics, but hopefully I'll remember that too! Cha. Well, enjoy! And sorry again guys! Forgive me? Oh and I'll go back and rewrite all these chapters later on, not like change the entire storyline, but touch up a few loose ends and mistakes here and there. So bear with the crappy chapters for a little while, kay? Haha. OKAY enjoy! AND NO FLAMES. Please. I just got back in the writing spirit, please don't crush it.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

"Sai? Why are you… crawling?"

"Perhaps it's because I'm fascinated by how incredibly dirty your carpet is and want to get a closer look at it."

"Baka."

It had been about two weeks since the boys moved in with Sakura, and every day that passed by she could have sworn they got more and more cat-like. Their sentences were frequently punctuated with meows, Naruto more so than the rest. Sasuke was acting weirdly, also. Whenever Sakura would pass by, he'd dodge into a nearby corner, as if he was trying to avoid her, and he always wore long-sleeved shirts even though it was near the middle of summer. Sakura frowned slightly. Why was he trying to hide from her? Or, more importantly, what? Nowadays it seemed like he wasn't even there, always lurking and hiding in the shadows somewhere. And Sai developed an interesting obsession with grooming and crawling on all fours. Sakura made note of these changes and reported them to Tsunade.

As Sakura finished reading the paper, she got up and headed over to the living room, where she exchanged Sai's old papers with these ones. Naruto and Sai were busy in front of the T.V. playing some video game that Naruto brought over when he moved in. Naruto was currently in the lead.

"Nya," Sai lifted the controller up and stared at it from the underside, "How the hell do you work this thing?"

"BWAHAHA!" Naruto boasted, "For a prodigy you barely know anything about technology! Here, let me help you," a malicious grin spread its way onto the blonde's face as he purposely pressed the wrong buttons.

"Nani?" Sai cocked a brow, "Why did my ship suddenly lose 50hp?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as a small smile played across her lips. It was nice seeing the two actually play "nicely" with each other. Well, at least nicer than when they had first met. One could probably consider them friends now. The boys had certainly settled down more than they had upon their initial arrival, and acted more at home. Chuckling silently, the pink haired jounin busied herself with changing Sai's newspapers again. But then, the girl stopped in the middle of her task and frowned slightly. Now that she thought about it, Sai really had it tough. When he first came, he wasn't readily accepted by Naruto or her, and was sort of on bad terms with everyone. He'd had a tough past also, and he didn't really have emotions, which made it harder on him. Poor guy. He had been pretty good lately...

"I know!" the medic nin beamed and headed to the closet, where she shoveled through loads of crud she didn't even remember she had. "Aha! Here it is." Still smiling, she brought out a medium-sized cushion. It wasn't much, but better than the Konoha Times. Most of her pillows and sheets were given to Naruto, and knowing the blonde he wouldn't readily give any up, but Sai probably wouldn't accept them unless they'd been washed five times over. As Sakura turned around she bumped into something firm yet soft.

"Oh!" she gasped, "Ohayo, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn," the said nin looked away and nodded in regards to her before pulling up his collar and shuffling away quickly. Sakura quirked a brow. There he went again, with his odd behavior.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun? Why are you avoiding me? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

The teen stopped, but gave no reply except a slight tug at his sleeve.

Sakura frowned, "Well, do what you wish, Sasuke-kun. But if something is troubling you, you can always come and tell me."

"...Hn," was the reply before he turned the corner to the kitchen.

Sakura sighed and replaced her smile and entered the living room. "Oh Saaaii, look what I hav-NARUTO!"

"Meow?" both boys looked up. Naruto ceased his scratching.

"Naruto, you're shedding again!" Sakura huffed exasperatedly. Everytime he scratched himself huge clumps of hair would fall out, and the fact that he was doing it all over her **white** couch didn't help either. This was the fourth time this week, a new record!

"Mew?" he blinked.

"Don't you 'mew' me, mister!" she scolded as she busily wiped off the offending hairs. Her eyebrow twitched as she realized many of them were also Sasuke's and Sai's. Now her beautiful ivory sofa was an odd shade of light grayish-yellow.

"Ugh," Sakura frowned, "I'm all out of lint rollers. I'll need to go out and buy some more."

"You're going out Sakura-chan?" Naruto leapt down from his spot on the couch and trailed her like a baby duck to a mother duck, "Can I come?"

"No."

"Whaaat? Are you sure? I mean you might need protection!"

"Naruto," Sakura smirked, "You know you can't go out in public."

"What if you get robbed or something? Or-or raped?! GASP!"

Sai flinched and Sakura's eyebrow twitched.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto put on a serious face, which wasn't really serious in her opinion, "if that happened I would NEVER forgive myself! Let me go with you this one time!"

"Again, that's a no." Naruto frowned. Lately he had been a lot more... _protective_ over her. To say the least, Sakura was touched by his concern, but it was odd. He'd question her alot about where she'd been and if any guy caused her trouble that day. Like a second father or something. Shaking her head from such thoughts, Sakura called out, "Sas-" she stopped herself. Usually, when she went out she put Sasuke in charge, but since he seemed to be a bit… _anti-social_ lately, she figured he wouldn't be able to watch much in his dark corner. "Err, Sai, you're in charge."

"NANI?!" Naruto gaped. Sai blinked in surprise. "S-Sakura-chan, y-you're putting HIM in charge?" Naruto curled his tail in outrage.

"Sure," Sakura grabbed her coat as if nothing was wrong.

Sai smiled, "For once, the hag has made a smart choice."

"Don't make me revoke your privileges, mister," Sakura clicked back smartly.

Sai growled and shuffled back onto his newspapers and continued reading the Sunday comics. That was a big blow to his pride. Well, as long as he was in charge then everything was fine.

Naruto continued to gape, "B-BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT-!"

"Naruto, it'll be okay," Sakura patted his head, "I'll only be gone for a little while."

"B-BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT-!"

"Don't worry about it; you'll get your turn soon."

"B-BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT-!"

"There's stuff in the fridge you can make your dinners with if I get home a little later. Be good, alright?"

"B-BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT-!"

"NARUTO!" Sakura near shouted, "Okay, relax, I'm only going to be gone for a little bit, so there's no need to worry. And this is the only time I'm putting Sai in charge, so just calm down. You can be in charge next, alright? But right now the last thing I need for you is to cause a ruckus and have the landlord kick us out, so be good, ne?" she smiled.

"..." Naruto blinked. And then...

"B-BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT-!"

The door slammed abruptly in Naruto's face. He could hear Sakura stomping irritably down the hall. "…B-BUT SAKURA-CHAN, SAI IS EEEEVIILLL!!!"

The raven haired ANBU cocked a brow at the blonde, "And that's the best you could have come up with?"

Naruto hissed and bared his fangs, "Don't speak to me, demon!"

"Look who's talking."

"At least I'm not a freak who reads emotions from a book! And you're probably just looking at those comics because you're copying the expressions on their faces!"

"Meow, Don't be ridiculous," Sai retorted as he looked up, his face oddly resembling Calvin's scheming one. (**A/N:** CALVIN AND HOBBES! Lol, okay carry on.)

Naruto shivered and went back to grooming himself.

* * *

"You know," Naruto said as he chewed his dinner, "I never realized the amazing flavor that fish had. I mean, it's amazing!" 

It had been about an hour since Sakura left, and both boys were enjoying their dinners. Sasuke's was still on the table, untouched since it had been set out ten minutes ago. Come to think of it, the Uchiha heir hadn't been seen all day. Sakura's apartment was of fairly decent size, but it wasn't THAT big. Where could he be?"

"Aa." Sai said as he sipped his water.

"It's incredible! How can such common creatures that swim in water have great flavor like this?"

"How interesting."

"Meow, this stuff is heavenly! I LOVE TUNA! BELIEVE IT!"

"Aa."

Naruto looked irritated, "No, not 'Aa'! Fish isn't just 'Aa'!"

Sai blinked at Naruto before picking up his own dinner and walking away, "I have better things to do than listen to some dickless wonder ramble on about the 'miracles' of tuna."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash and the sound of a male hollering. Sai and Naruto whipped around and narrowed their eyes. That sounded like Sasuke, and it came from the bathroom. But Sasuke was a skilled ninja, why would he be in trouble? Equally bushy tails bristled. Uh oh. This didn't sound so good.

* * *

Eighteen year old Sakura Haruno blew a stray bang from her face and balanced the grocery bag on her arm, while attempting to flip the offending bang away with the other. Once settled, Sakura smiled and set off on her way home. Getting the lint rollers had taken longer than expected, but you couldn't blame her for getting sidetracked while shopping! I mean all the colorful things you can buy… OH and those towels would have gone great with the bathroom décor! And those rubber duckies were so adorable! And… 

Yeah. Anywho…

As the young jounin walked along the concrete path, silently humming to herself. Her pace was a bit quicker than usual, because she had quite a bit of fresh fish in the bag for the boys and didn't want it to stay out in the open air too long, and partially because she had already left them alone for too long. Sakura tensed slightly when she heard a slight rustling before a familiar voice called out her name.

"Oi, Sakura!"

She turned around. It was Shikamaru. Next to him were Ino, Chouji, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. "Ohayo!"

"O-Ohayo, S-Sakura-san," Hinata shuffled timidly. The others returned with a polite greeting as well.

"Whatcha doin' wandering around so late, forehead-girl?" Ino said as she poked her friend's brow.

Sakura glared playfully, "Stop that, Ino-pig. I was out getting some lint rollers for the cat haaaai…I MEAN, the dust. Yes, the dust on my couch." She mentally berated herself for nearly revealing the mission that was supposed to be a secret from everyone else, '_BAKA BAKA BAKA!'_

Suddenly, Akamaru growled slightly at Sakura and began barking.

"Hey, what's wrong buddy?" Kiba bent down and pet the white pup, "It's only Sakura! You act as if she's a cat or something."

"Ha-Ha-Ha," the said nin laughed robotically.

"Geez," Kiba rubbed his head, "Akamaru thinks you're a cat, he says you smell just like one."

"Why would she?" Ino said, "Forehead-girl doesn't have a cat."

"WOAH!" Kiba yelped and grabbed his nose, "What's in the bag, Sakura? The smell is crazy!"

"Huh? Oh! I just bought some fresh fish, and I think I should get them home soon."

"That's quite a bit you got there," Shikamaru said as he studied the bag.

"Heh," Sakura force-laughed again, "I've been having an ENORMOUS craving for fish lately, so I bought a ton of it! Funny, eh?"

Chouji nodded understandingly, "I know JUST how you feel, Sakura. Those cravings can be pretty powerful."

Sakura sweat dropped, "Ha-ha….um, WELL, I'd better get going now before they spoil, OKAYBYENOW!" Sakura whirled around and was about to begin her non-conspicuous-mad-sprint-home when a shy voice spoke up and made her nearly trip over herself.

"A-Ano," Hinata blushed and fidgeted nervously with her fingers, "S-Sakura-s-san… D-Do you happen t-to know what happened to N-Naruto-s-san?"

Crap.

She asked it.

The ONE question Sakura prayed wouldn't be brought up.

At this, the others released a chorus of "Oh yeah"s and began recollecting on how they hadn't seen the missing Team 7 boys for weeks since their return from the mission. Suddenly, they all turned their attention towards a certain pink-haired medic-nin with eyes expectant of an answer. Sakura froze. What was she supposed to tell them?

"Surely you would know," Shino spoke for the first time that night, "You're their teammate. And you haven't been out a lot lately either."

Sakura made a mental note to punish Shino for being so smart. But for now, she had to think fast. Come on, come on!

"A-Actually," Sakura began unsurely, "I really don't know what happened to them. I believe they got sent on another mission. Those bakas really don't fill me in on what they're doing these days, haha…" Now she needed to pray they'd believe it.

"Come to think of it, you do whine a lot about how they always leave you behind," Ino put a finger to her chin, "But then again, you whine about a lot of things…"

"_Ino-pig!_"

Kiba and Chouji snickered, Hinata shuffled uncomfortably, and Shikamaru smirked.

"Well I must be getting home now," Sakura slowly shied herself away from the group, "See you guys tomorrow!" The nins said their goodbyes and headed off in different directions, but a certain bug nin lingered for just a bit longer.

Shino's brows furrowed. There was definitely something fishy about her, and he wasn't talking about the stuff in the bag.

* * *

Sakura slammed the door to her apartment shut as she sighed and leaned against the cool wood. That was close. Baka! Why hadn't she thought of this before? The other ninja were bound to get concerned over Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai sometime, but then again Sakura had assumed that Tsunade had provided an excuse for their absences. But whatever, at least that was over. As the strawberry haired nin gathered her bearings, her eyes suddenly widened. 

"WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE?" Sakura shouted angrily as she studied her apartment, specifically the living room. It was a mess! There was some overturned furniture, and the carpet looked scuffled. And there was no sign of the boys anywhere. That was weird; usually Naruto pounced on her whenever she came back from anything.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura called, "Sai? Naruto?"

Upon receiving no answer, Sakura grew worried, her anger subsiding for now. What could have happened?

"Sasuke-kun? Sai? Naruto?" she called again as she opened the door to the closet.

Nope, not in there.

She poked her head in the kitchen.

Nope, not there either.

Sakura felt like tearing her hair out when she reached the bathroom. The mirror was shattered, a few tiles were missing, and the sink looked almost broken off. What the hell?! '_Don't tell me a missing-nin broke in or something!_' But the boys were strong enough to defend themselves…

As she walked down the dark, narrow hallway, she pulled out a kunai just in case. Some noise was coming from the end of it. They sounded like… whimpering noises? And some mewing noises also…

"Sasuke-kun? Sai? Naruto?" she tried again. The whimpering and mewing grew quiet. Were they in pain?! "Are you alright?" Sakura said with a bit more urgency in her tone. Her hand searched for the light switch and turned it on. Instantly, the corridor was flooded with light, revealing everything that was in it, and at the end of it.

As soon as she saw what was at the end, Sakura dropped her kunai, and screamed.

* * *

Evil cliffhanger. Haha.


End file.
